Although wild ducks are attractive and sometimes entertaining birds, the Kalimbeza rice project sees them as a menace as they destroy young rice yields.
In an interview with New Era this week, Kalimbeza farm manager Patrick Kompeli confirmed the damage ducks can cause at the farm.
“Currently, it’s only the wild ducks that destroy young rice. The elephants are no longer a problem,” he noted.
Kompeli explained that it is difficult to deal with these wild ducks as they are from the wild, and they normally come at night.
Besides bird attacks, other losses experienced are due to shattering when the rice is overripe. Currently, there are two rice varieties, namely Irga and Super.
Inadequate funding of the Kalimbeza rice project has had detrimental effects on its potential to become a premier rice producer.
There are 11 permanent workers and no casual workers at the moment.
Kompeli said the rice that was planted from October 2021 was ready for harvesting by the end of January, but harvesting was delayed due to the broken combine harvester.
Unfortunately, there’s no rice on the market at the moment as the rice-processing machine is also broken.
The farm gate price of rice is N$14.95 per kilogramme (kg) and N$29.90 per 2kg. The manager feels their product is affordable, compared to other brands.
“There are no plans at the moment to export rice as the project currently doesn’t meet the local demand,” he pointed out.
According to Kompeli, the project draws water for irrigation from the river, and it is sufficient. There are two big pumps that supply water to the rice paddies, but only one is functioning while the second pump needs to be repaired.